How to work faster with PuTTY

A PuTTY terminal is a good example of situation in which you might have to type the same fairly complex commands repeatedly. If you have to manage a LAMP server with Ubuntu, like I do, you are familiar with commands like these:

To locate the Apache log file: cd /var/log/apache2
To backup a website: tar cpzf /var/www.tgz www
To restart the Apache server: service apache2 restart

Can you repeat all of these detailed commands without making mistakes? How much easier would it be to have a shortcut that would type these commands in error-free for you?

Look no further than ShortKeeper, a free lightweight (AutoHotkey-based) software utility for creating and maintaining a set of keyboard shortcuts that will speed up your work.

ShortKeeper provides commands to quickly create general purpose shortcuts (e.g., open a folder/document, start an application, insert text, show a webpage, use an extra clipboard, run an Excel/Word macro, etc.).

So with the “Insert text” command in ShortKeeper, you can create shortcuts that will automatically type in your most difficult commands in PuTTY, error-free.

For those who need more than a few shortcuts, ShortKeeper can be used with an Enterpad device. With as many as 120 control keys, the Enterpad lets you accurately trigger dozens of well-identified shortcuts without having to use keyboard hotkeys.

By Denis Lamarre

4 thoughts on “How to work faster with PuTTY”

  1. You can build up a full set of macros with Autohotkey and have them all run from a programmable keyboard like the Enterpad. It is fully compatible with AHK, and works a lot faster than hotkeys.

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